Osprey
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Why We Fish
Why We Fish
Most of us are looking for fun (pleasure) and many of us want as much as we can get, quick as we can get it and keep em coming. Ask a smoker what
happens when they run out of cigarettes. Shrinks attribute that need to the id, the pleasure center. I bumped into the power of it when I quit
smoking. I just inhaled good old fairly clean air a few times (instead of lighting up) and when it hit my brain’s sweet spot, the pleasure was the
same as nicotine.
Now let’s look at the instant and continued gratification of sports/hobbies/pastimes. I know a whole lot of adults who only play and enjoy sports
they excel in. Their need for achievement, success, approval, is so strong they cannot fail in recreation --- they will turn to those things they do
well or above average when compared to their contemporaries.
Some sports/pastimes are more challenging than others – said another way, some are far more forgiving than others. Enter fishing. Easy to prove
because you probably have albums full of snapshots of you at kindergarten age sporting a big grin while holding up your first or biggest fish ever.
All you needed then was a little help with the rod and the worm and after all these years you can recapture the feeling with the same sort of happy
outcome and with little more skill or resources that show up in the picture.
Fishing is one of those things that gratify that you don’t have to be good at. Sometimes the sitting and waiting part of it can be taxing but in the
end it is all worth it --- there is magic in the moment when you have coaxed a fish to bite and the fun feeling lasts, stirs way down deep all the way
till the next bite.
Don’t know about you but I’m too old for racquet ball or shooting hoops; even throwing and chasing a friz wears me out before I can work up a sweat.
So for me with the giant id, till it’s time for another fishing trip to fill up all my vacant pleasure points, I’ll just have to be content to sit,
wait, and vegetate. It’s all good.
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vandenberg
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Mood: mellow
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The better half tells me I'm very good at vegetating. 
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Osprey
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Ed, with my uber ego I'm also very competitive. I hope you know I'm a world class vegetator so don't even think about a veg off with the king.
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woody with a view
PITA Nomad
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Mood: Everchangin'
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luckily for me, my better half fishes better than i do, or at least seems like it!
edit: foto
[Edited on 11-10-2013 by woody with a view]
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cessna821
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Well, talking about sports for the elderly, I have two now, sailing and a motorcycle, both non-competitive, and I will partake in these until I can't
hobble about any more.
Sailing is probably the most rewarding, as using the wind for a days sail in beautiful weather takes some beating, and you can fish at the same time
which makes it even better.
Motorcycling just takes me back to my youth, and I am still a hooligan when I can be.
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wessongroup
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Mood: Suicide Hot line ... please hold
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Couldn't even cast anymore when down ... but, just setting by the water and watching others ... was A-OK ... a very relaxing environment .. fishing
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bufeo
Senior Nomad
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Location: Santa Fe New Mexico
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99.9% of my fishing is fly-fishing streams and rivers, so I probably don't fit into the scenario you describe above, but given that it's still
"fishing", I'll participate in your poll.
You write: "Fishing is one of those things that gratify that you don’t have to be good at". In my case, I'm grateful that this is true.
A couple of weeks ago I was on a spring creek in the early evening and just the fact that my imitation insect enticed a nice brown trout to strike was
reward enough. Bringing the fish to hand and releasing it were bonuses.
But...I must admit that much of the drive I still have for wading rivers (sometimes in ones over my skill level) comes from the fact that trout live
in such pretty places. That evening I mentioned above was on the Henry's Fork of the Snake River a few hours east of us. At one point I retrieved my
fly and just stood and looked at the spectacular scenery that surrounded me. The evening was incredible. Alpine glow tinted the clouds east of me, the
river was glassy, the air still, and the fish rising. I took a big deep breath and thanked the gods, all of them, for my good fortune.
Oh, and for the record, yes, I frequently kill a fish. Both Diana and I enjoy trout.
Allen R
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DJL
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Fishing , for me ... anyways .... isn't really about catching Fish .
The whole process of standing in the Surf before dawn ... watching the world come alive .... THAT is the point . Not that I don't seriously fish (I do
, and catching IS important !) , but the whole casting , rigging , tying Flies , reading the water , looking for carnage and mayhem - Great fun !
Every trip out is a visit to a Hunter/Gatherer past , and I'm in tune with it . Being the Hunter and having that tie with the primordial world is a
visceral rush , one that I deeply love . 99% of my vacation days , I'm on the water before daylight .
Of course , catching and releasing little Green Jacks and Ladyfish ... the 'serious' Fishers give me a pretty bad time ("Oh , you're fishing for
BAIT") . Doesn't bother me in the least , especially when you consider the cost (free) , the insane variety of Fishes , and the rush of just being
alive ... running around chasing boils . As long as my Legs are game , I'll keep doing it .
There are worse 'hobbies' , I'd guess ?
D.~
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Cypress
Elite Nomad
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Mood: undecided
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Down on the bayou we fish for our dinner. Catch and release? You're not supposed
to play with your food.
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DJL
Junior Nomad
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Registered: 11-9-2013
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Cypress
Catch and release? You're not supposed to play with your food.
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Consider this -
Most Ocean Fish eat .... what ? Fatty Bait . Sardina , Mackeral , Shrimp , stuff like that  . Now - if they eat a lot , this fatty diet could clog their Fishey-arteries , right ? This tragic situation could lead to an untimely
death , or at lease poor health , Especially if they don't get enough exercise .
So - Basically , I'm going a great service to nature by helping these unfortunate Creatures get their cardio in ...
The Fishes , and all lovers of Sea-Life .... can thank me later .
D.~
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Osprey
Ultra Nomad
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D, you're on the right track. Got to be exciting to get hooked and have some human try to pull you out of the water to kill you and eat you. Ones
you release up till that first encounter live lives of swim, eat, poop, do it again. So I see it as mutually satisfying if they aren't hurt in any
way and you walk out of the surf like you went in.
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DJL
Junior Nomad
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Registered: 11-9-2013
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Osprey
D, you're on the right track. Got to be exciting to get hooked and have some human try to pull you out of the water to kill you and eat you. Ones
you release up till that first encounter live lives of swim, eat, poop, do it again. So I see it as mutually satisfying if they aren't hurt in any
way and you walk out of the surf like you went in. |
Yep .
I do try hard to be responsible about the whole C&R thing - use enough Gun (I love goofin' w/ a 6 wt. Trout rod on the beach ... but there are
times and places where it is just a stupid choice) , barbless hooks , heavy enough tippet , fight them HARD .
Even with the best efforts .... Fishing is still a Blood sport - try hard to C&R correctly , and you still lose a small % of Fish . I can live
with that , as any Fish stupid enough to take my Fly has a MUCH better chance than the Fish that blunders into a Gill net , or is Gut-hooked on a
chunk of carnada ...
D.~
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bajabuddha
Banned
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Mood: Always cranky unless medicated
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"The time a man spends fishing should not be deducted from his life." ...author unknown
I don't have a BUCKET LIST, but I do have a F***- IT LIST a mile long!
86 - 45*
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